Clachnacuddin are set to face Forres Mechanics in the North of Scotland Cup final in Nairn
MANAGER Conor Gethins says Clachnacuddin want to win the North of Scotland Cup final on Saturday for the club’s officials and volunteers rather than for themselves.
The Lilywhites will be looking to win their first trophy in 11 years when they take on Forres Mechanics in the final at Station Park in Nairn on Saturday.
Clach are a club on the rise in the last two years, last season finishing in the top half of the Highland League for the first time in over a decade. This season, they are currently in fifth place, only five points off Brora Rangers at the top as they approach the half way point of the campaign.
It is the second season in a row Clachnacuddin have reached the North of Scotland Cup final, last season going down to a 6-1 defeat to Brora Rangers at Nairn 12 months ago.
Clachnacuddin last won the North of Scotland Cup in 2001, when they beat Inverness Caledonian Thistle 2-0 in the final. The last time they won a trophy was the Highland League Cup in 2014.
Gethins says it would be a great moment for him as he approached his second anniversary in charge of the club.
However, he says he wants his team to win the final for all the officials and volunteers who are involved in running the club, saying the contribution they make means a lot to Clachnacuddin.
Gethins said: “It would be great for me to win it, but the win would be for everyone else.
“It would be for everyone in the background at the club who don’t demand wages.
“They come here and do it off their own back as they love the club.
“Next week is for them and I would rather they lifted the trophy than our boys.”
Clachnacuddin are having a good campaign so far, having only lost two matches all season and are still among the frontrunners in the Highland League title race.
However, they did go down to a 1-0 defeat against Huntly at Grant Street Park last weekend.
Gethins hopes they have learned lessons from last week’s defeat against Huntly and come out on top in the final on Saturday.
Speaking about defeat, he said: “It was probably the best thing that could have happened to us because that was not acceptable in the first half.
“It took until the 80th minute to get some urgency, we have come a long way and you see how happy Huntly were shouting in the changing rooms after the win.
“It shows the boys where we have come from.”